INDIANAPOLIS — In the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, some Hoosiers are seeing it as an opportunity while others are now much more uncertain about the future.
”It’s returning this issue squarely back into the hands of the people,” said Mike Fichter, the President of Indiana Right to Life.
On the opposite side of the issue, the CEO for Women4Change, Rima Shahid, said the decision was disappointing and disheartening.
”The government is not protecting our healthcare and our rights and our lives,” Shahid said.
Women4Change is a Hoosier group focused on making positive change for women. Shahid said the group is squarely against the ruling.
”It’s frustrating, it tells us that you are putting our health and safety at risk,” she said.
But, Fichter called this a huge victory.
”It really gives the potential for saving millions of innocent lives across the country and it also points to the fact that we have come such a long way since the old days in 1973,” Fichter said.
Fighter and Indiana Right to Life already have eyes on the July 6 special session in the Indiana Legislature.
”We now have the opportunity as a state to come together, as a loving and compassionate state, to really revisit Indiana’s abortion laws and take a look at them,” Fichter said. “We do anticipate that will happen in the special session July 6 here in Indiana.”
But Shahid said outlawing abortions will not stop abortions, only make them more dangerous.
”We know people are still going to have abortions and more people are going to die because we’re not able to seek out safe and legal ways to have abortions,” Shahid said.
She said new laws outlawing abortions in certain states will have different impacts on different people.
”Make no question about it, it does not stop abortion but what it does is make more minority communities, brown women, brown women like myself, black women, at risk,” Shahid said. “Those with economic privileges are still going to be able to seek safe abortions.”
Fichter said there also needs to be renewed focus on what Indiana can do to help pregnant mothers and young families.
”We shouldn’t look at this as just what can government do to help pregnant mothers,” he said. “This is really a call for Hoosiers to step up across the board.”
Fichter said there are already hundreds of organizations across the state focused on free help for pregnant women and young families.
“We’ve identified over 200 organizations across Indiana that are either pregnancy resource centers that provides free care and support for women,” Fichter said.
Shahid said she and other at Women4Change are preparing for the July 6 special session in Indiana. She said they expect for Indiana to soon have some kind of ban on abortions.
”While we may not have the right to make decisions about our bodies, we still have a right to make decisions about who we vote for,” she said. “So if you are feeling frustrated today, remember to vote.”
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has already confirmed he expects the legislature to discuss abortion rights during the special session.